TOW the Star Crossed Thanksgiving
by leobold1
Summary: If you love something, set it free; if it returns it’s meant to be. Tweaked some details and made a couple places flow a little better.
1. If you love it, Set it Free

They all gathered around the speaker phone, hearing her voice and missing her. Ross, upset, valiantly made his voice cheery as he spoke.

"We're all glad you're having such a great time in Paris, Rachel. We can't wait until Thanksgiving when you come back."

"Oh, about that," Rachel began, sorrow streaming through the speaker, "I'm not going to be able to make it. See, in America, its Thanksgiving. In France, it's Thursday. I can't get the time off, being so new over here. I've got a pile of work on my desk and I just can't get away."

"Rachel, that's too bad. Do you want me to put a hex on your boss for you? Then, you can blackmail them by letting you come if I take it off."

"Thanks, Pheebs, but no. My boss doesn't believe in hexes." They could hear the smile from across the Atlantic.

"Ooh ooh, Rach, is your boss cute?" Dirty looks greeted Phoebe when she looked up. "What?"

A laugh came from the phone. "Pheebs, he's 65, bald, and as big as Jared before he went to Subway."

"Hey, Rach, I gotta go to an audition. I'm up for a commercial for an anti-graying hair spray…thing."

"Joey, you don't have gray hair," said Chandler, right next to him.

"Yeah, but its all done with make-up."

"What? You mean those guys aren't really gray," a shocked Phoebe asked.

"No, I mean, what if they got the product and it didn't work. Its easier to make them gray than to make them not gray."

"Wow, spoil my fun."

"Huh, that ACTUALLY makes sense," said Mike.

"Hey Rach, we all gotta go. We'll talk next week, ok?" Monica said.

"Sure. I miss all of you. And I'm sorry about Thanksgiving."

The gang said their good-byes, except for Ross, who picked up the cordless to talk to his daughter.

As they spoke, Phoebe and Mike headed for the door. Phoebe was driving him to a performance at a bar mitzvah. As they went, Phoebe kept complaining to Joey about the wicked ways of corporate America, out just to fool the masses with their sexy, gray haired, men

Chandler went into his bedroom to get his suit jacket so he could head to work, while Monica went to clean up the breakfast dishes.

This was a weekly occasion. They got together and spoke to Rachel on the phone as a group, so they would never forget their friendship. They all, separately, spoke to Rachel throughout the week, mostly Ross to keep his connection to Emma, but their weekly talks were meant to keep the group together. They would eat, talk to each other, then talk to Rachel. It kept them as one.

"Hey, sweetie, I love you. Can you tell daddy 'I love you'?" A gurgled laugh was the response. Ross hung up the phone and hung his head as Chandler came back in the room.

"Hey, you alright, Ross?"

"I just can't believe that I'm going to miss this Thanksgiving with Emma. They've only been gone four months and I miss her like crazy" Ross hoped he hid who he really missed. He hid it, but not well enough. Chandler knew his best friend better than he knew himself.

"Dude, you just gotta realize, Rachel's doing what she wanted, where she wanted. How many times, when you two were dating, did you talk about going to Paris?" Chandler placed his hand on his best friends shoulder. "The closest she came was London for you wedding, then she flew over it when she took your honeymoon. To be that close, and not get there, well, she feels like this is part of what she missed."

"Yeah, I know. And I want her to be happy, but why couldn't she have been happy HERE?" Ross stood and gave his friend a short hug. "I gotta get to work. I have a couple lectures."

Ross gave Monica a peck on the cheek and grabbed a bagel on the way out the door. As soon as it was closed, Monica turned to Chandler.

"Remember, we only have to keep this secret for two more weeks. Then Rachel can surprise everyone and Ross will cheer up."

Chandler wrapped his arms around his wife. "Yeah, its just so hard seeing him like this, Mon. I hate keeping the secret from him."

Monica kissed her husband and said, "I know. It's hard for me too. Just knowing how happy he could be. It's just a good thing that we didn't tell Phoebe and Joey. They wouldn't be able to not tell Ross. You're still ok with telling Mike?"

"Yeah. I think you were right. He can keep a secret pretty well, and he does have to pick her up from the airport. I just hope Pheebs buys his story of a gig on the morning of Thanksgiving."

Chandler kissed his wife and headed out the door. Monica turned to sub-list C-7 to ensure that everything would be perfect for this year's Thanksgiving. The best one yet.

--

Ross stepped into his apartment after a long day. His ritual never changed. His briefcase went by the side chair, his jacket got hung up, he got a glass of water, and sat down on the couch. His eyes went to the answering machine and saw he had no new messages. He pushed the button anyway.

"Ross," came Rachel's voice, "hi. It's me. I just got back on the plane. And I just feel awful. That is so not how I wanted things to end with us. It's just that I wasn't expecting to see you and all of a sudden you're there and saying these things...and...and now I'm just sitting here and thinking of all the stuff I should have said and I didn't. I mean, I didn't even get to tell you that I love you too. Because of course I do. I love you. I know if I got off this plane that everything would be right. We'd be together, and be loving each other."

"But, as much as being with you would make my life complete, right now, I have to be selfish. You know the saying, 'if you love something, set it free; if it returns it's meant to be'? Right now, I need to be set free, and I need to set you free. I never meant to hurt you, and I know I did, and I'm so sorry."

"I love you. But, I have to do this. I'm sorry." Rachel's voice ran off at the end and before the tape stopped, he could hear her give a sob.

He wiped his eyes. "I have to dust, I guess. So much stuff in the air." But, he knew it wasn't the dust. For one thing, Monica came by once a week and completely destroyed any dust she found. The other reason was that he'd never cried from dust, and he knew the real reason for his tears.


	2. The Best Laid Plans

Later that day, Ross went into Central Perk to find Phoebe and Joey on the couch, arguing about the Smurfs, of all things. As they saw him, it turned into a race of who could say, "Brainy Smurf," fastest. Ross just looked at the two of them and shook his head as he went to the counter to get his coffee.

As he sat down Phoebe asked, "Ross, what's wrong? Did you find out the truth? I can see how that would drive you of all people into the dumps."

"Truth?" asked Ross. "What truth would that be?"

"You know, about how the dinosaur bones were placed to throw off people like you by the aliens?" Joey looked at Phoebe with a questioning glance, causing her to ask, "what?"

Ross just shook his head and said, "no. I just miss Rach- Um. Emma. Emma. My daughter."

"Ross, don't you miss Rachel too?"

"Yeah, Pheebs, I guess I do. Probably more than Emma, and that's a lot."

Joey looked at him with sympathy. "Dude, I gave you this advice years ago, and you never took it. I think you should this time."

Ross looked at him warily. "What advice was that?"

"Strip club! C'mon man, it'll really help put things into perspective." Joey's voice rose as he continued, "and you get to see women naked. Ow, Pheebs, why did you hit me?"

She just gave him a harsh look.

"No, Joe, a strip club is not what I need. I just need to think."

Phoebe jumped on the couchand turned to Joey. "Ooh, can I go then? Please, please. Mike won't let me go by myself after that 'Veronica' incident."

Joey grinned at Phoebe and waited for her to continue. Ross saw she was thinking of something else already, and didn't want to prolong it.

"Pheebs, you better tell Joey before his face explodes."

"Later, Joey. I've got slides, and the story doesn't work well without them." Joey just grinned bigger.

Joey snapped out of his reverie and turned to Ross. "Hey, I had a great idea. Why don't you go to Paris for Thanksgiving and surprise Rachel and Emma? Just take a long weekend away from work and go."

Ross's face brightened a little. "You know, that's not a bad idea. Yeah, I can fly over on Thursday morning, meet Rachel at her office and spend the rest of the weekend with her and Emma."

Phoebe started jumping again. "Ooh, you can make it a surprise, and show Rachel how you really feel."

Ross' mind went back to the last time he surprised Rachel at her work, which led to the second worst day of his life, the day before he lost Rachel, which was the worst day. But, this time would be different. This time, he wouldn't set the office on fire. He'd just go in, say hi, and then go see Emma until she got off work.

"Yeah, we'll keep it a secret, okay?"

Both Joey and Phoebe agreed, and Ross went off to make arrangements.

--

"Hey, Mon. We're all set to fly in. I gave Mike the flight info so he can pick us up. Oh, I can't wait to see you guys. I miss all of you." Rachel hadn't sounded this happy since she landed in Paris.

"Yeah, we can't wait either, Rach. We're setting two more places, and if asked, we'll say we invited a couple who didn't have anyone to spend Thanksgiving with." Monica was so pleased that her plans were coming together. This would destroy last year's Thanksgiving.

"Now, you're sure that no one else knows, right? I want this to be a full surprise, not like your surprise birthday party when you turned 30."

"Yes, Rach, no one else knows. And, hopefully, Phoebe won't take her top of this time." Monica had heard the stories and seen Ross' video. Which is a good thing, because she still doesn't remember that night.

They spoke of other things until Rachel had to go back to work.

--

The day before Thanksgiving, Ross walked in the door and gave his sister a hug. "Hey, Mon. I may be late tomorrow. Carol asked me to spend some time with her, Susan, and Ben in the morning, but I should be here by the time we call Rachel before we eat."

Monica grinned over his shoulder, knowing that they wouldn't be calling tomorrow. "Sure, no problem, just make sure you're here by four, that's when Rachel's…calling. Okay?"

"Sure, I'll, um, be here then. If I'm late, it won't be by much."

Monica turned away from Ross back to the counter so she could finish her pies. "Good. Mike should be here about the same time, you know, getting back from his gig."

"Hey, Mon. Why did you make a cherry pie? No one else likes it, except Rachel."

Monica looked stunned, but luckily that look was directed at her Joey Apple Pie. "I, uh, guess I just did it out of habit. You know, since I always made one for her, I just did it, like on autopilot." She was glad Ross was behind her, so he couldn't see her blush.

"Oh, sure. Hey, if you want, one of the other professors loves cherry pie. If you want to save it, I can give it to him Monday." He didn't suspect a thing.

"Sure, that sounds like a good idea. You can take it with you tomorrow night."

Ross said his goodbyes and walked out. As he did, he smiled.

She didn't suspect a thing.


	3. Star Crossed

Feeling better, but still tired, Rachel stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around her. As she got dressed and did her make-up, she heard Mike playing with Emma. She smiled as she realized that Mike had nothing to worry about when it came to fatherhood. He was a natural.

She stepped out of the bathroom and Emma ran up for a hug. "Mommy. We go see Auntie Onica and Unca Chanrer. We go see Erica and Jack. YAY! Can take dolly?"

"Guess what, we're not just going to see them today, but for a couple days. We're staying there."

"YAY!" Emma cried, not completely understanding.

"Ready to go? We've got about a 45 minute drive," Mike asked. The only thing they brought from the car was her small travel bag with her change of clothes. They grabbed it as they headed out the door.

With Emma in her car seat and driving through traffic, they headed toward Chandler and Monica's house. She was a little apprehensive at seeing Ross, but that was overwhelmed with the joy of seeing everyone else.

"Thanks for taking Emma while I showered. She sounded like she was having fun," Rachel said.

"Yeah, she was an angel. We all miss her, and you. Those weekly phone calls aren't enough."

"I agree. I miss you guys, too. The good news is that when you and Phoebe come to visit, you can take Emma. You're great with her," she said, looking at him as he blushed. "You are. You're great with kids. And you'll make a great father."

"I shouldn't say this. It was supposed to be a surprise. Phoebe's pregnant."

"Mike, that's so great. If you weren't driving, I'd give you a hug. Congratulations. How long has she been pregnant?"

"About 3 months. She's been wearing loose tops so she can hide even the little bit that's showing, she wanted this to be a surprise. She was waiting until today to tell everyone. Please, be surprised, okay?"

"No problem." She kissed her hand and pressed it to his cheek. "That'll have to do for now."

They pulled into the driveway.

--

Ross walked in the front door, carrying a bouquet of roses and a box of chocolates in one hand and a big teddy bear in the other. "Yes, I'm looking for Rachel Green's office," Ross said. The receptionist looked at him like he was speaking a foreign language, and he got worried. Then she turned to her computer for a moment and turned back to Ross.

"Oui. Mademoiselle Green is on the seventeenth floor, 1709. Elevators are over there," she pointed to the left.

He walked that way and waited for it to arrive. He pushed the button for the seventeenth floor and couldn't help smiling. This was it.

He got off and looked at the office numbers, heading toward Rachel's office. As he passed 1708, he looked in and saw…

MARK!

Here? Why? When?

His jaw was on the floor as Mark looked up and saw him.

"Ross! Hey, good to see you, pal. What are you doing here," Mark asked cheerfully.

Ross just gaped.

"Wha- Wha- Mark? Is that you," Ross asked.

"Yeah, I've been here about a year. I was in New York for a meeting when I saw you guys. I'm based out of here."

Mark was loving this. His revenge was almost complete. He had tried before to break them up, and it did work…almost. Him bringing her to Paris was also part of his plan, and it also worked. Almost. All it would take is one more thing to drive her into his arms.

Up until now, he'd been the soul of tact. He'd been her friend, he'd let her cry on his shoulder when she first got to Paris and was homesick.

He'd almost had her when they were back in New York. Keeping her late hours, knowing her jealous boyfriend, all played into his hand. Then they'd gone on a break and he'd given her a shoulder to cry on. She thought he just didn't get it when she was on the phone with Ross and he was talking to her. He knew. He wasn't an idiot.

Then she said she didn't want to be with him. And that got him mad. He wanted Rachel, but not as a girlfriend. He wanted her to feel that pain that he felt. He didn't care about the morning after.

Her being fired from Gucci was luck that played into his plan. And now, by another stroke of luck, his plan was almost complete.

Ross was still in shock. "Where's Rachel?" He knew that she'd be able to explain it, and if she couldn't, then he got a trip to Paris out of it at least.

"She's not here. She went to New York," Mark said.

Shocked, and spilling chocolates, Ross walked back toward the elevators. Mark picked up the phone.

"Hey...Yeah, he's here...Surprised me too...On the way to the lobby...Ok...Love you,too." Mark hung up with a smile.

--

Ross went back to the lobby, pulling out his cell phone. It wouldn't work in the elevator, but it would when he got into the lobby.

The doors opened, and he got his next big shock.

"Emily?"

Ross now hated Paris.

--

Mike knocked at the door and walked in. "Hey, everyone, look what I found." Sixteen eyes, to include Monica's parents, all looked toward the door.

Rachel came around him with Emma in her arms and a huge smile on her face.

Suddenly, Monica's living room was turned into chaos. Monica and Chandler, knowing she was coming, was simply pleased. Joey and Phoebe were overjoyed. Everyone rushed her and gave hugs. Jack took the baby while Judy hugged Rachel.

Rachel saw one was missing.

"Where's Ross," she asked with a huge smile on her face.

Phoebe and Joey both jumped back and shouted "ROSS!" This was the scenario they hadn't expected or anticipated.

"Don't worry, Rach. He's spending the morning with Ben. He should be here any time now," Monica said.

But, Rachel was watching Joey, who suddenly found the ceiling fascinating.

"Joey?"

No answer.

"Joey," Rachel growled.

Joey started, "Um, Rachel, see, it's like this. Haha, you're gonna love this. This is so funny. So funny that Phoebe has to tell you about it," he said as he stepped behind Phoebe.

"Pheebs? What's going on?" To say Rachel was confused was an understatement.

"Well, Rach, you look great," she said and sat down, leaving Joey unprotected.

"Will someone tell me what the hell is going on?" Rachel was rapidly losing her patience.

Monica took Emma from her father since she was starting to squirm, handed her off to Chandler and pointed to the playroom. Chandler threw her a look asking "Why me?" Monica whispered, "Who tells stories better, you or me?"

Chandler started to argue, then nodded and left the room with Emma.

Rachel was looking at Joey and Phoebe angrily.

Joey stood in front of Rachel and took her hands in his. "He went to Paris to spend Thanksgiving with you. He was supposed to meet you at your office and spend the weekend with you and Emma." He got the Joey Eye Twinkle and said, "its actually really romantic."

Rachel was struck. "Yes, it is. Ah. What a great…MY OFFICE? NNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Rachel had to sit down, and the floor was available, so it worked out.

"No, no, no, no, no, please God no," Rachel was begging.

Monica came up and kneeled next to her. "Rachel, what's going on?"

"Monica, there's something I never told you or Ross. You see, Mark works right next door to me. I didn't tell Ross because I didn't think he could handle that." She dug out her cell phone and rapidly dialed Ross' number.


	4. Surprises

Ross stood there, mouth agape, staring at Emily; who stood there, smiling at Ross. Ross was barely aware of a distant ringing sound.

"Um, Ross, is that your phone? Ross? Ross, can you hear me? Earth to Ross!"

As if in a daze, Ross reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, never taking his eyes off Emily, who was now holding open the elevator door.

Ross put the phone to his ear and said, "hello?" The first clue he hadn't pressed the Talk button was when it rang again. But, his mindset wasn't one that he was able to decipher even the simplest clues. He simply stared at it.

Emily took his arm and steered him out of the elevator while she took his phone and picked up his call. "Hello, Ross' phone."

"Who is this," Rachel asked, totally confused. She hadn't expected to hear a woman's voice on Ross' phone.

"This is Emily Waltham, can I help you?"

The response couldn't properly be termed speech, although sound was escaping from Rachel's mouth, and words were being formed by her mouth, but if it had been any higher pitched, the neighborhood dogs would have gone crazy.

Emily took the phone from her ear in pain and the piercing shriek could be heard throughout the lobby. It also shook Ross from his reverie.

"I know that scream," Ross said, rapidly finding it in the hand of Emily. He picked up the phone and said, "Rach?"

"Ross? What are you doing in Paris? Who picked up the phone? Why did you do this? Did you go to my office? Answer me," she yelled, never having taken a breath.

"Then let me. Hey, Rach, I'm in Paris, and you're not. I'm in your office building, and you're not. I'm standing in front of Emily, and again, you're not. Where are you," Ross asked, quietly. All he heard was the clatter of a phone hitting carpet.

After a few seconds of silence, he heard, "Ross, its Monica. Rach is here, in my living room. It was to be a surprise for everyone, but we got a bigger surprise when you weren't in my living room. Where are you Ross," Monica asked.

"Wow, Monica's not getting Monicay yet. I got dibs on 5 minutes," Phoebe said.

"Are you kidding? You want to bet on this? We need to be here to support Rachel here in her time of need," said Judy Gellar. Then she whispered, "I want eight minutes, Jack wants three minutes," handing Phoebe a twenty dollar bill.

Joey whispered, "Seven minutes, Pheebs."

Mike handed her a ten and said, "twelve minutes, thirty seconds."

Chandler poked his head out and asked what was going on. Joey filled him in, using only hand gestures. Chandler made hand gestures of his own, then nodded, fully understanding what his former roommate was saying, and ducked back into the room where the kids were.

Joey leaned into Phoebe. "Pheebs, Chandler wants ten minutes, he'll pay if he loses." Phoebe nodded.

They listened to the one way conversation while Rachel just rocked back and forth, her face in her hands.

Monica turned to Rachel, "do you have a spare key anywhere?" She passed the information to Ross along with the address.

Monica hung up and stood in front of everyone. "Okay. Ross went to see Rachel and Emma, not knowing that they were headed to New York. He went to your office and saw Mark, and started to walk out. Then he ran into Emily. He doesn't remember anything after that until you screamed. You know his whole 'blanking out' thing? He did that," Monica finished as she sat next to Rachel.

"So, he's going to stay at my place until his flight, right," Rachel asked.

Monica nodded. "I'm sorry Rachel. We kept the secret so well, too."

Joey asked, "how long? Because we kept ours for two weeks. It was hard to, wasn't it Pheebs?"

"Oh, yeah," Phoebe said.

"How did you keep it from me, sweetie," Mike asked.

"Oh, I've been lying to you for a while about some things. I'm good at it," Phoebe said, more reticent as she finished the sentence. Mike just looked at her. "Hey, you said you had a gig this morning, and you were getting Rachel!"

Mike nodded sheepishly.

"You gonna be okay for a few minutes, Rach? I gotta go check on the turkey," Monica said. When Rachel nodded, she stood up. "Okay, Phoebe, you sit with her. Joey, check on Chandler and the kids, and if I hear bubble wrap, I'm killing someone. Mike, can you unload Rachel's bags from your car? Dad can help. Mom, if they need more help, can you take the kids and tell Joey and Chandler to help them out?" She walked into the kitchen, not waiting for an answer.

Phoebe looked at her watch and said "YAY," and pocketed the money. "Five minutes, 23 seconds."

--

Ross walked into the apartment and looked around. He dropped the spare key on the table and sat on the couch.

God, this has been the worst day. The only thing that would make it worse was if Bonnie was Rachel's roommate, and Chloe was her next door neighbor.

The phone rang. He waited for the machine to get it, hearing her voice on the greeting almost tore his heart out.

Beep.

"Ross, I don't know if you're going to listen to this, or not, but I wanted to apologize to you. I should have told you about Mark and Emily sooner. This isn't how I wanted you to find out. I'm so sorry. Ugh."

"Look, just treat it as your home, raid the fridge, there's a couple of delivery and take-out menus near the phone. There are a couple of gallons of ice cream in the freezer."

"I'll talk to you later, okay? Give me a call when you get there if you listen to this."

"I…um…I…Ugh. Yeah, Mon, I'm coming."

Ross smiled and looked at the machine.

He made a turkey sandwich and turned on the television. Everything was in French.

Paris sucks! So does Thanksgiving.

--

"Well, I guess I'm next," Mike started. He looked at Phoebe "I'm thankful for the most beautiful woman in the world. She's everything I've ever wanted in a woman. She's my life, my soul. I love you Princess Consuela. Thank you for being my wife, and having my babies."

"Oh, you're so getting lucky tonight," Phoebe said and kissed Mike.

"What? Baby? What is this?" They all spoke over each other, except Joey who said, "About time you told everyone."

"Oh, yeah. I'm pregnant. About three months along now. Twins! And how did you know Joey?"

"Hey, I'm not just another pretty face, you know," Joey said with a Joey Grin.

"Yeah, you also have sexy knees," retorted Rachel.

"Yeah, baby."

After congratulations were passed around, Rachel stood up.

"Okay. I'm last," said Rachel. "I'm thankful for my family, sitting around this table. Who would have thought that eleven years ago, when I walked into a coffee shop that I'd be sitting here with everyone I care about in the whole world. I'm not totally thankful for Joey and Phoebe at the moment, who left me without Ross. I know its not your fault, and it was a great surprise, but I thought we agreed that before there were any more surprises, you'd run them by someone else." Joey and Phoebe looked sheepish. "But, I love you guys." She ran around the table and hugged Joey and Phoebe.

Chandler stood to carve the turkey when the phone rang. Monica picked it up and quickly put it on speaker.

"Hey, Ross," Monica said and the table emptied quickly.

"Hey, guys. Rach, are you there?"

"I'm here, Ross. How's my apartment," she asked, tears in her eyes.

"Its good. This sucks being here. If you were on this side of it, you'd know how bad this sucks. Me here, all you guys there. Rach, I'm sorry for ever hanging up on you," Ross sounded like he was near tears. He wasn't. He was quietly crying.

"I know, Ross. And I forgive you, if you can forgive me."

"Hey, we all miss you, buddy," said Chandler. "This was a great idea, just next time let someone else know, okay?"

"Not a problem," Ross chuckled.

Everyone talked to him while the food got cold, except for Joey's, who made up a plate and took it to the phone. Once they were done, Rachel picked up the phone and everyone else went back to eat. Strangely, no one talked, having both ears tuned to the phone.


	5. Making the Best of Things Gone Wrong

Ross woke up on the couch, not being able to bring himself to sleep in Rachel's bed. His first move was to shower. He then went to his hotel, checked out, and got his bags. He took them to Rachel's apartment and went out again. He called and left a message for his Department Head to ask for another week of vacation. He bought some more clothes, as he had only packed for 4 days, and another suitcase to take the clothes home at the end of the week.

He hoped he wouldn't have to, but just in case.

He then went out and explored. Rachel's apartment overlooked the Arc de Triomphe, and that was his first destination. He toured the Louvre, looking at the antiquities such as The Seated Scribe and the mummies. His next tour was of the Sainte Chapelle Cathedral. He took a cab back to Rachel's apartment, took another shower, and set out for a restaurant.

His day was full, and full of thoughts of Rachel. She'd told him how she'd done these tours and she thought of him while she did. She actually knew some of the history behind the relics in The Louvre thanks to him, and it actually made it more fulfilling for her to see them, knowing that one piece of information the tour guide gave was wrong.

When he got back, there was a message giving permission for him to stay another week. Things were starting to look up.

He talked to Rachel a couple times that day. They didn't talk about the future, past him staying with her and Emma for a week. They talked about Mark and Emily, and Rachel told of how she asked for a transfer to another department immediately to get away from them.

But it was a key piece of information that let Ross get out of a particularly delicate situation.

--

On Saturday, Ross was getting ready to tour The Catacombs of Paris, that he got the shock of his life.

He opened the door to leave, and was met by Emily.

"Hello, Ross, can we talk for a little while?"

Ross was taken aback, but plowed on. "Sure, Emily. Would you like some breakfast? My treat."

"That sounds lovely," she responded and led the way to a small café nearby.

After ordering, she dropped a bomb on him. "I still miss you. Every night. I'm divorced, because I never really loved him. I loved you, and still do. More than anything."

Ross was touched. "Emily. I had no idea. I've thought about you, thought of calling you. When you called me before you got married, I almost called and asked you back. I missed you so much."

"I had no idea that you felt this way."

Ross took her hands in his and looked deep in her eyes. "Can…Can we try again?" Ross looked, holding his breath.

"I don't know," began Emily, frowning, but smiling on the inside. It was working, just like he said. "I mean, we've both been through so much, and I'd like to start over, but, I still don't know if I can trust you."

Ross took her hands and gazed into her eyes. "You want me to move out of Rachel's? I'll go to a hotel. Never speak to her again. Give her full custody of our daughter. Name it. I'll do it. I want you back so bad," Ross pleaded.

"I want you too. So bad. But, you've had a baby with Rachel, what are you going to do about that," she asked.

"I do, but we have no future together. I flew here to spend it with Emma. It was going to be almost torture for me to be with Rachel."

"Baby, I'm so happy we're back together. I live on the other side of the city, and I can't wait," Emily said, her foot leaving nothing to his imagination.

"We can go to Rachel's. What better way to prove to you how I feel?"

They raced to her apartment. Once they stepped inside, they began kissing. He took off her clothes, piece by piece, until she was clad only in her socks. He, down to his dinosaur boxers, pushed her toward the front door, kissing her tender spot on her shoulder.

She was dripping wet, and begging for him to take her. He pushed her up against the wall, right next to the door.

He freed his left hand from her breast and rattled the doorknob. She was too far gone to realize it, until he opened the door and pushed her out and slammed it in her shocked face.

He walked to the phone and got Rachel's phone book. He called Mark and told him where to find his girlfriend and her purse. Her clothes were on the sidewalk, thrown over the balcony. Mark knew when he was beaten. But that didn't stop him from hating.

Then he called Rachel. He told her everything, and she laughed until her sides hurt. She told Monica and Chandler. They didn't find it nearly as funny. Monica said something about how his plan had worked when her's hadn't. Chandler asked why Ross hadn't simply cut off her pinky toe.

Then Rachel went to the bedroom and helped him with a problem. Acting or not, she was still gorgeous naked. Rachel knew how to deal with that problem, she and Ross had a lot of experience doing that over the phone from their time dating.


	6. Paybacks are a Bitch

Ross woke up on the couch, not being able to bring himself to sleep in Rachel's bed. His first move was to shower. He then went to his hotel, checked out, and got his bags. He took them to Rachel's apartment and went out again. He called and left a message for his Department Head to ask for another week of vacation. He bought some more clothes, as he had only packed for 4 days, and another suitcase to take the clothes home at the end of the week.

He hoped he wouldn't have to, but just in case.

He then went out and explored. Rachel's apartment overlooked the Arc de Triomphe, and that was his first destination. He toured the Louvre, looking at the antiquities such as The Seated Scribe and the mummies. His next tour was of the Sainte Chapelle Cathedral. He took a cab back to Rachel's apartment, took another shower, and set out for a restaurant.

His day was full, and full of thoughts of Rachel. She'd told him how she'd done these tours and she thought of him while she did. She actually knew some of the history behind the relics in The Louvre thanks to him, and it actually made it more fulfilling for her to see them, knowing that one piece of information the tour guide gave was wrong.

When he got back, there was a message giving permission for him to stay another week. Things were starting to look up.

He talked to Rachel a couple times that day. They didn't talk about the future, past him staying with her and Emma for a week. They talked about Mark and Emily, and Rachel told of how she asked for a transfer to another department immediately to get away from them.

But it was a key piece of information that let Ross get out of a particularly delicate situation.

--

On Saturday, Ross was getting ready to tour The Catacombs of Paris, that he got the shock of his life.

He opened the door to leave, and was met by Emily.

"Hello, Ross, can we talk for a little while?"

Ross was taken aback, but plowed on. "Sure, Emily. Would you like some breakfast? My treat."

"That sounds lovely," she responded and led the way to a small café nearby.

After ordering, she dropped a bomb on him. "I still miss you. Every night. I'm divorced, because I never really loved him. I loved you, and still do. More than anything."

Ross was touched. "Emily. I had no idea. I've thought about you, thought of calling you. When you called me before you got married, I almost called and asked you back. I missed you so much."

"I had no idea that you felt this way."

Ross took her hands in his and looked deep in her eyes. "Can…Can we try again?" Ross looked, holding his breath.

"I don't know," began Emily, frowning, but smiling on the inside. It was working, just like he said. "I mean, we've both been through so much, and I'd like to start over, but, I still don't know if I can trust you."

Ross took her hands and gazed into her eyes. "You want me to move out of Rachel's? I'll go to a hotel. Never speak to her again. Give her full custody of our daughter. Name it. I'll do it. I want you back so bad," Ross pleaded.

"I want you too. So bad. But, you've had a baby with Rachel, what are you going to do about that," she asked.

"I do, but we have no future together. I flew here to spend it with Emma. It was going to be almost torture for me to be with Rachel."

"Baby, I'm so happy we're back together. I live on the other side of the city, and I can't wait," Emily said, her foot leaving nothing to his imagination.

"We can go to Rachel's. What better way to prove to you how I feel?"

They raced to her apartment. Once they stepped inside, they began kissing. He took off her clothes, piece by piece, until she was clad only in her socks. He, down to his dinosaur boxers, pushed her toward the front door, kissing her tender spot on her shoulder.

She was dripping wet, and begging for him to take her. He pushed her up against the wall, right next to the door.

He freed his left hand from her breast and rattled the doorknob. She was too far gone to realize it, until he opened the door and pushed her out and slammed it in her shocked face.

He walked to the phone and got Rachel's phone book. He called Mark and told him where to find his girlfriend and her purse. Her clothes were on the sidewalk, thrown over the balcony. Mark knew when he was beaten. But that didn't stop him from hating.

Then he called Rachel. He told her everything, and she laughed until her sides hurt. She told Monica and Chandler. They didn't find it nearly as funny. Monica said something about how his plan had worked when her's hadn't. Chandler asked why Ross hadn't simply cut off her pinky toe.

Then Rachel went to the bedroom and helped him with a problem. Acting or not, she was still gorgeous naked. Rachel knew how to deal with that problem, she and Ross had a lot of experience doing that over the phone from their time dating.


	7. Epilogue

Rachel spent the rest of the weekend in one of two places. With her friends or family, or on the phone with Ross. She knew about his vacation extension, no more surprises for a while.

By the time the weekend ended, she was happy for the love of her friends. They all went to the airport to see her off. Ross was waiting on the other end, and she had taken a week off.

They walked the River Seine, became (temporarily) interred in the Bastille Saint-Antoine, crossed the Pont Neuf, examined the Notre Dame de Paris, and saw the Conciergerie Prison.

They held hands and kissed under a bridge. They held each other tight at the top of the Eiffel Tower at night.

They talked of themselves, each other, and them together. They began to talk about the future. And they loved each other at night.

By the end of that week, he had a job at the University of Paris in the Paleontology Department and was learning French.

Their friends were planning on coming to visit for Christmas. Phoebe wanted to make Paris beat London all to hell.

He'd let her go, but it was meant to be.


End file.
